Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-06-04
THE BAHAMA les.
A PART OF EART FAVORED
GREATLY BY THE =MENTS.
It Is so Easy TO Live re fhst W.
body Works Much. n Our Core
.paad.nt Calls II .'Theeamful Land
OF Shirk''-<assau'S Nber>-

Special CorrrSpulc''
NASSAU, y. f.. Nav 81. .4e most sensible
thing one ran do when IN le {" ami from
Cuba is to psy short viso the hahama
Islands. " hen You were N'!r"h ana al
geography you noticed little group OF
wrinkle surrounded speck the map off the
.,uaSt of Florida, but moi ever impressed
yuu with the idea that tlwere worth re-
memberlng.
But they seem the verit. Isles of the BleSt
To the voyager from morn seas. driven
through howling blasts, sieet, waves of
desperate cruelty, bitter and the attack
of nurierous elements every hand. l
have an abiding sentinel love for those
lands IN which, a part the year, great
waves Of coli grip hums IN Such sturdy
way that thought OF onend is impelied 10y
the SayageTy of elementsndlton>. Around
the Ireparati-a for kurigor, the brave
hours such condition cpjs, the plenty and
want II mtenSiiies and glad dTSenthrall-
ment that always .eomiave hern woven
tht. trlltirr,-St tributes he human heart.
Trnric chimes charm ON their first rich,
iewillerimg draught. in this true seuSe,
If You have any senuIt about you, the
first glimpse Of these mful isles will fill
you with all sorts Of aries ami visions,
whilt. a brief visit v>et them in your
memory as IA spot of ers en"hantment.
From "Hul.. in the l." which pcint is
one OF the greatest irtance to seatar!ng
men, especially ssilinssters VII" select the
wonderfully mterestipssSage 10 the " cst
Indies across the B,sa hank>. it is but a
ont Of sight of emer shore or threatening
key, AMI you feel indeiinable senSe of
witchcry in isle ami and >oftened. halmy
airs which YOU can rely shake of. Ii l.
narcotic. but not riL l would say the
first touch Of il all ne Keen sense is Of the
hliSsful trance of ppium smoker, where
the inner or spirit 5 roves ravishingly. Ii
lays bold OF ones soul. All about you
it Is weird. charmiensuous.
The SEA has cha from its hard, cold,
steely blue. IL Is, almost milky white,
hut translucent horizon, which in the
irear latitudes 81 down about you with
such clo-e, prisoniardness, seems wonder
fully far above yand 50 feecy and soft
and tender that iompts to undreamed Of
flights: toward bn- The stars. which in
the icy zone shofnu with savage. glitter
ing rayS. here let you with the melting
ferVor of lovers and pulse and glow pas
sionately. la tlsg watches OF the dreary
nights on shiphusou have each night seen
the north star sslwer and lower toward .
horizon rim Of al dreariness like dia
muni point Of but endless light Now.
AWAY at the eli til. nights southern huri-
.ou appears sl,eifting southern cross, and
it tirobs AMI n with infinite fires. l he
winds. fram wser they come, bring to
youhalf recogi, Of invisible and witching
pre-.-nc,.s. akiuIint, suggestion, dalliauce
touching you ifing, lingering pulsationS
lulling the sensnierly.
All this. antpressibly more, influence es
yuu strang-iyd when You have ieac. ed
the quaint aine old city Of Nassau. you
hay. half u INTO desert your snip AL ! all
the fIssy, friporld you came out of and
l,S,. Yourself he remainder Of yor-' life,
as BlenneIhasiid, in the trupic splendor
TIE u;uient Ia and the limitl,-SS r.st that
ever breathe universal presence acre.
OF the Bsa Islands the largest are
Grand BAHIA Great and Little Abaco,
El,ntherla, Providence, Andres, san
Salvador, ExE ,ong and Crooked Islands,
lnagua and Cm Separated from Florida
by the odd Bah channel and the Gulf of
Florida, wheset depth ana rapidity Of
the gulf stream always compel anything
tut tranquil pes 10 and from the " est
Indies. they ea IN a cfainlIke group from
Ia Toint up;,oSife northern Florida coast
ruuthcasterly 'oiIt just north ui the east
,rn shores .'uba, distance Of 1Uu
miles. The il table islands are twelve in
uuinser. BE. this, the chain comprises
t.l keysan,l reefs and cliffs: altogether
they consist 81 islands and islsts They
l-cume a wous subject for study and re
fiction. IN ection with the marvellous
Bahama ,a.dJoining them nn the west.
between thnds proper and the Gulf of
Florida. vh is remembered that they are
formed of ialcareous rocks, which We're
ndauite,ile the submits uf mountains
rising high { the ocean, submerged dur
inn. some n CONFUSION If nature, and en-
iarssd auievatcd, for the Use Of man. bv
coral insecose labor and numbers are be-
,ond tue ,ity of the human mind TO con-
C-IVe.
Suain fl ,ened these islands, and on their
discovery Spaniards found a race of
aborigine,ossession 80 gentle and child
like, 80 Gu and chivalrous, 50 loving and
hospitablit the legends of their downfall
t~fore th.rtless invaders form one of the
most touS pages of history.
The "a population of the Bahama
Islands tween 40.0O0 and $500 souls.
But outJ the resident English and the
whites ther nationalities. who, while in
most ines intelligent enough, are ener-
waited u,tteriy without enterprise, they
al. u, indolent lot indeed Simple ex-
istence . their highest aspiration. Nature
Is 81 p,l that this requires little effort.
For thtst part English is spoken. You
viii liesle else save a strange mixture Of
Spanish English, with a strong shading
Of the dialect, which produces a most
Iaugha 'ut readily understood, jargon.
Th,eple Of this sunny land have truly
many ant and lovable traits. This is
true oimost ignol 1t and most sodden in
lllliU.e hh tcd>t, huN-
ever iy be in other lands of the tropics,
the su Iours have not developed treacher-
Gus, I'nate, sullen natures. Frankness,
open geniality, happy hearted trifiing,
n,errigence and pleasant eyed unthrift
sem most marked and striking phases
of ctter One looks in vain for exertion
and rious effort. Nobody Is ever III
ut.rr here is ample time TO live and 10 die
bsr.ll seem contented in whatever caste
tbe,St. The passive. neutral spirit OF
.ba .sSneSs peryades nature and people.
Al place ;u come for all those who have
S..r nd To the fine friction of human ex-
,rr 1t is the dreamful Land of Shirk,
Ni idleness is not RELENTLESS enemy 10
lifAn American has about as much husi-
u,.re. only to see and go, as to live per
u,ltly in a soft aired, blooming Hades
nge gathering, fishing, fruit picking and
:, and coral gathering constitute about
a. labor done. Wreckiug. a. il j. nper-
.hrre, would lee regarded by practical
Fe, and Indignantly, too, aS n very IN
ant industry. But il j. not. NrecE ,Ig
: Bahama Islander inn>t eNcitin. form %:
sure IL j. his baseball. horse race, cir
cock tight tlrarT- Iuii fight all Ial3.l